What I Saw
by Pyr0-Kat
Summary: Clemont's journey is over- or so he claims. Returning home from a life changing pokemon adventure is never easy, especially when your journey follows you home and refuses to leave without you. Mostly follows the Anime, but with a few VG aspects mixed in for the finer details. DiodeShipping, or Ash/Clemont for those who are unfamiliar with the ship names.
1. Chapter 1

Lumoise City Gym- Prism Tower, as the locals refer to it. The shining glass surface reflected the sunlight harshly, making the huge electric type gym nearly impossible to look at when the sun was at it's current peak. Sighing, the yellow haired Gym Leader pushed his round glasses further up the bridge of his nose, lower his gaze from the top of the tower to the ground in between his feet. His gray shoes were tattered and crusted lightly with dried mud, the only visual evidence left from his long journey of traveling around the Kalos Region.

Only to end up back here, in front of his beloved gym once more, with nothing but a few holes and a little dirt to show for it.

A huff from his side pulled the boy out of his thoughts, drawing his vision away from the sun-soaked pavement to the crossed-armed figure of a disgruntled little sister. Her eyes were narrowed into slits, cating a sharp glare up at her older brother. He winced visibly from the stare, blinking slowly to try and form words to please the little girl.

"Bonnie…"

"Save it, Clemont! I don't wanna hear any more of your dumb apologies!" The blonde girl stomped off, hands balled into fists at her sides as she strode through the doors of the gym.

The motion sensors clicked audibly after she had vanished inside, leaving Clemont alone on the pathway in front of his gym. A tourist walked up beside him, taking Bonnies place with a camera pointing at the top of Prism Tower. Clemont rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut before following his sister into the gym.

Yes, once he had gone on a journey with amazing friends, Pokemon and Human alike. But now his journey was over, and it was time to move on.

* * *

_**Author Notes:** Uploading this at the last seconds of Diodeshipping Day on tumblr. Of course, first chapter is going to be unreasonably short and do nothing much other than set the scene. I'm not really doing much planning for this fic, I really just wanted to write something 'cus diodeshipping is so damn rare c'mon now._


	2. Chapter 2

The rush of cool air brushed against his cheeks as Clemont entered the gym. _His_ gym.

Blinking a few times to get re-situated with the dim indoor lighting, the first floor slowly came into focus. The room was large and empty, save for the elevator in the very center. Bonnie climbed into her basket attached to the side of the platform, Dedenne's round black ears barely peeking out of her shoulder bag. The electric rodent shuffled silently in between the contents as Bonnie swung a leg over the railing; the usually boisterous Antenna pokemon lay solemn and silent at the side of his pouting trainer.

Clemont hesitantly took a step towards the elevator. Bonnie turned her head away from him, refusing to meet his eyes. The blonde boy sighed as his sister crossed her arms and huffed to further her point. Dragging his mud-crusted feet, the Gym Leader walked past the elevator and instead opened a back door, revealing a winding staircase leading to the middle section of the tower- where the battlefield lay. Clemont paused with the door open, debating whether to try to apologize again to his sister. After a few moments, the boy released his grip on the door knob to wipe his sweaty palm on the pants of his jumpsuit, and let the door swing shut behind him as he began the trek up the stairs.

* * *

The stairs ended at the base of the bleachers on the left side of the battlefield. Clemont huffed, wiping his forehead with a sleeve as the door swung shut behind him. Clembot stood ever diligent on his side of the field, eye's staring unblinking at the automatic sliding doors where challengers would enter via the elevator. Taking a few moments to catch his breath, Clemont began heading over to his robotic counterpart. Clembot emitted a few clicking noises as the sound of the blonde boy's foot falls registered, and it's head turned to the side, eyes blinking as it scanned the new challenger approaching from an unfamiliar angle. Clemont sheepishly raised a hand in greeting.

"H-Hey, Clembot." His voice echoed slightly off of the metal walls of the gym, repeating his hesitancy to his own ears.

The robot blinked again, head following Clemont as he turned to stop in front of his metal doppelgänger. Another clicking noise echoed against the bleachers surrounding the pair- Clembot processing the greeting as his new voice recognition programming activated. "Greetings, Clemont! Have you returned from your Journey?" The Robot's head tilted politely.

Clemont's lips thinned into a small white line, but he managed a smile. "Y-yeah, it's over."

"Welcome home, then." The replacement Gym Leader put its hands together and bowed its entire upper body, the inner pistons and gears audibly hissing.

Clemont rested his hand on the robots cold shoulder as it raised back up to it's full height. "Thank you, Clembot. You've done so much work keeping the gym running in my absence. I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

The robot blinked, a series of question marks flashing over his eyes as he tried to process the apology. His metal eyelids shut again, opening to reveal his regular eyes. "Hmm?"

The blonde boy forced a smile, removing his hand from Clembot's shoulder. "Please follow me to the office, and I'll shut you down. You deserve a good rest."

* * *

Clemont held out his hand, hitting the center of the pokeball he held in it with his thumb. A flash of red light shot out from the opening, fading a moment later to reveal a large black and blue lion pokemon.

"Hello, Luxray." Clemont greeted, running a hand through his mane as the large cat pokemon rubbed his head against its trainer's leg in greeting.

A deep purr reverberated from Luxray as Clemont scratched him behind the ears, though it turned into an annoyed growl when the blonde began walking away. Luxray padded after his trainer as the Gym Leader began exploring his old room, leaving the dark form of Clembot sitting limply in the corner and the entrance doors behind the two.

Trainer and pokemon stepped out into the larger room than the smaller side room where Clembot sat, shutdown. Luxray walked ahead, sniffing suspiciously at the new environment. The left wall was the wall of Prism Tower- a complete window, giving the pair a fantastic view of Lumiose City. A pair of couches sat across from each other near the glass wall, a small coffee table filled with discarded blueprints and inventions separating the futons. The opposite wall was almost completely covered by pinned up blueprints and papers with messy sketches of half-baked ideas, and a desk equally cluttered with three computer screens rising from the mess. The chair to the desk was slightly askew, and a mini fridge sitting next to the desk continuously droned, filling the air with a buzzing noise. The wall across from the Luxray and Clemont also held a few blueprints tapped on half-hazardly, and a single door leading to a bathroom. Luxray took in the room in a mild look of uninterest before padding over to jump on a couch and curly up for a nap.

"Out of the pokeball for a few moments, and you're already ready for a nap?" Clemont chuckled, pushing up his glasses. When Luxray didn't respond, Clemont headed over to his computer desk. He paused in front of it for a second, drumming his fingers against his leg. The room's familiarity made the returning Gym Leader nervous. His memories of spending days at a time in this room (only leaving when a challenger came or he ran out of food) felt like someone else's. He stepped forward, opening a drawer on the desk. It was half-filled with Voltage Badge's. Trying to keep his breathing steady, Clemont grabbed a handful and dropped them in his pocket.

The whoosh of the automatic doors opening drew Clemont's attention away from the pointed yellow badges. Even Luxray raised his head in curiousity. Small, quick footsteps gave away who the visitor was before she even rounded the corner. Bonnie stuck her head out of the wide entrance, ponytail bobbing and arm hugging the wall. Clemont opened his mouth to speak.

"You got a challenger." Bonnie piped before Clemont had a chance to speak.

"Oh. Thank you." Clemont tried to respond, but his little sister had already disappeared around the corner.

Scratching the back of his neck, Clemont shut the drawer and walked back to the smaller room. Luxray slid off the couch and followed after his master. Patting the pokemon's head, the pair walked back into the side room and through the sliding doors into the battlefield. Bonnie was tapping her foot impatiently, arms crossed. Dedenne had appeared on her head, tiny paws fidgeting in her hair, ears noticeably less perky.

A boy around the same age of Clemont stood on the challenger's side of the field, flashing a thumbs up sign at the two others Clemont assumed to be his companions sitting in the bleachers. The challenger had a blue baseball cap he wore backwards, and a pair of blue shorts with a yellow T-Shirt, a blue Sableye insignia on the front.

"C'mon, Clemont. Don't just stand there!" Bonnies shout startled the Gym Leader, causing him to fumble to re-adjust his round glasses. "If you're gonna be the gym leader, then act like it!"

Clemont glanced at his little sister. Her face was fuming, hands fists at her sides. Turning away from her, the blonde boy patted his pokemon's head.

"You sit out of this one, Luxray." He murmured hurriedly. "You're a bit too high-leveled to be a gym pokemon." Clemont smiled at the responding growl. "I'm sorry." Hurrying away, Clemont took his place at the opposite end on the field. The challenger looked surprised to see the blonde Gym Leader standing across from him.

"A-am I not going to be fighting the robot?" the boy looked like his earlier resolved had plummeted, and his grip on his pokeball faltered.

Clemont smiled, trying to sound reassuring. "Sorry. He was just holding my place for me-" The blonde took a deep breath before continuing, gripping a pokeball at his side to stop his hand from shaking. "I'm Clemont, the Gym Leader of Lumiose City."

* * *

Clemont was almost as nervous as the challenger during their fight. The Gym Leader's voice shook when he shouted commands, but his pokemon followed them through with no hesitation. However, the challenger emerged victorious.

Clemot returned Heliolisk to his pokeball, murmuring an apology and thanks to the pokemon before putting it at his side with the others. The challenger's companions climbed off of the bleachers and ran to congratulate him as he sprayed his Furfrou with a potion, grinning from ear to ear. Clemont walked over to the celebration trio, digging in his pocket for a badge. The youngsters face lit up when Clemont held it out.

"That was a great battle," Clemont congratulated the winner, trying his best to give him a genuine smile. "Here. You've earned this." The Gym Leader placed the badge in the boys hand.

The challenger stared at his trophy for a long moment, eye's brimming with emotion. He looked up, lip quivering. "I'm-"

"Congratulations on beating the gym leader." Bonnie cut in, stepping in between Clemont and the boy, her back to her brother. "Follow me, and I'll take you down to elevator towards the exit and point you to the nearest pokecenter." Grabbing his sleeve, the challenger barely had time to return his furfrou to its pokeball as Bonnie dragged him off the battlefield. Confused, his companions followed, leaving Clemont standing in the center of the field on his own.

The automatic door shut behind the group, the sound of the pistons echoing slightly in the suddenly empty room. A few moments passed with Clemont standing in the middle of the room, his shoulders slumped and eyes hiding in the glare of his glasses. Luxray stood up and walked over, nudging Clemont's empty hand. The Gym Leader slowly sunk to the ground, sitting cross-legged in the sandy battlefield. Luxray made a soft noise from the back of his throat, circling his trainer a few times before laying down next to him.

Clemont reached out a hand at softly scratched the gleaming eyes pokemon behind an ear. "I'm sorry, Luxray." The blonde boy wiped his nose on a sleeve, taking a deep breath. "Please bear with me."

The two sat for a long time, Clemont leaning into Luxray's soft mane, the Gym Leader's breathing slowing until he was almost dozing. A soft growl from his pillow rose the boy.

Clemont rubbed an eye, lifting his glasses for a second. Groaning, he unwillingly rose his head. "Luxray? What's wrong?"

The black lion stood up, staring at the side door Clemont had entered through earlier in the day. The blonde froze, barely breathing as he strained his hearing. After a few moments, he could make out pounding footsteps from the direction of the stairway.

Clemot scrambled to his feet just as the door burst open. Looking up, he saw his little sister running onto the gym floor. Time seemed to slow down as their eyes locked for the first time that day. Clemont tore his gaze away from her's as two others followed her in- the blonde took a sharp intake of breath, and one step back, stumbling. Luxray growled at the newcomers, fur rising along his spine. Clemot told himself to look away, but couldn't bring himself to.

Bonnie ran into the gym, shortly followed by Ash, Pikachu, and lastly, Serina. The three humans stood there, facing Clemont, panting to catch their breath. Ash took one step forward, knuckles turning white at his side as he balled his hands into fists. The black haired boy gritted his teeth, eye's locking with the blonde's. Ash took a sharp intake of breath, and shouted.

"Clemont!"

* * *

_**Author Notes:** damn guys, thank for all the support! qoq I mean All I uploaded was an exposition first chapter with barely two paragraphs and it got a ton of support TTwTT you guys are great! Sorry for any typo's and such within this chapter, it's 2 am right now, but I wanted to finish this today cus y'all are amazing 33 All the plotting and suck is done for this story at this point (I know I said last chapter that I wasn't going to do any plotting but I LIED) So updates are only dependent on my laziness uou As always, please review! Reviews are my life energy owo_


	3. Chapter 3

"Clemont!"

"A-Ash? Serena? Wha- why are you- Ash, stop!"

The Gym Leader's head was reeling. Ash had frozen mid stride, arm beginning to rise despite the large gap between the two boys. Pikachu stood at his side, long ears twitching from the tension in the room. Serena stood in the back with Bonnie, hands clasped together at her chest. Ash held his stance for a moment before continuing on despite Clemont's interjection.

Clemont stumbled further back, hand grasping Luxray's back for support. "No, p-please- Stop!" The blonde pleaded.

Luxray roared to make up for the awful shake in his trainer's voice, which finally brought Ash and Pikachu to a stand still a couple yards away from the pair. Ash's face was wrought with concern, and his eyes seemed to burn themselves into Clemont's mind.

The ghost of Luxray's roar echoed countless times through the hollow gym, eventually fading so that the sounds of Ash's labored breathing from the run up overtook it. Still, the silence dragged on, with Ash's gaze locked tight with Clemont's.

"... Clemont, what's going on?" It was Serena who ended the silence, taking a step forward. "Why are-"

"What are you doing here?" Ash broke out, his shoulders falling in exasperation, and his question coming out as more of a shout.

Clemont fumbled for an answer, jumping a bit at Ash's outburst. Finally leaving Luxray's back alone, he adjusted his glasses. "I-I'm doing my job." His answer sounded weak even to himself, his resolve lackluster in comparison to Ash's just a moment before.

The black haired boy stood speechless, his mouth partly open but with no words coming out. Serena's clasped hands fell to her sides.

"B-but what about you, Ash?" Clemont began, desperate to fill the silence. "What are _you_ doing here? You just need to fight Wulfric for your last bade before you can take on the League! Isn't that why you came to Kalos in the first place?"

"Clemont," Ash began slowly, as if explaining something to a young child. "You _left_." Clemont closed his eyes and flinched away as if Ash had physically thrown his words at him.

"You and Bonnie left a few nights ago, with no warning. No note, no goodbye-" The black haired boy continued, voice finally beginning to crack.

"But Ash, you're _so close._ You shouldn't be here, you should be in Snowbelle-"

"I'm not going without my friends!" He snapped back, taking one step forward.

"Pika pi!" The electric rodent at his side backed him up, electricity sparking off his cheeks in earnest. Luxray growled deeply, catching Pikachu off guard and ceasing the sparks.

Clemont breathed deeply, gathering himself. Pushing his round glasses up to the bridge of his nose, he straightened up, praying that his voice would remain steady. "I'm sorry, but you already have a Voltage Badge. There is no reason that you should be here." The blonde boy squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that the glare from his glasses would hide it from the others. "Please leave."

Again, silence stood as a barrier between Clemont and the others. Luxray nudged his side, and looking down, the gym leader could see his hands balled into tight fists violently shaking at his sides. Sucking in air through clenched teeth, the blonde turned on his heel and began making his way to the back room. Luxray trailed shortly behind him. When they reached the door, Ash seemed to jolt back into reality.

"Wait- Clemont!" The pokemon trainer started, pushing off the ground hopelessly to try and catch his friend.

Stepping inside the entrance with Luxray at his side, the gym leader turned to a panel at his side. He unintentionally locked eyes with Ash again, before placing his hand on the control panel and promptly breaking their deadlocke with doors sliding in on the left and right, locking together with a resolute echo. Ash's defiant shouts and pleads could still be heard; though no matter how muffled, his voice cut through Clemont's facade, leaving him feeling exposed even locked behind metal doors.

Crumpling to his knees, the blonde boy leaned against the doors, drawing his legs to his chest and clamping a hand over his mouth as sobs overtook him. Luxray nudged him, but the blonde didn't respond. Tears fogging up his glasses, Clemont squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the vibrations of Ash pounding against the door, still fervently trying to reach the gym leader on the other side.

* * *

"Clemont! Clemont, open up!" Ash shouted, repeatedly banging a fist against the doors.

"Ash, stop it!" Serena shrieked, pulling against his shoulder and yanking him away from the door. He hadn't noticed the girls run up to him, but Ash shrugged of the brunette, regaining his balance.

Swinging an arm to point at the door, he began, "Pikachu, Thunder Bo-"

"No, don't!" Bonnie jumped in, pulling down his extended arm. "Ash, calm down!" Letting his arm fall, Ash turned on her.

"What happened?" he questioned, voice wavering. Pikachu cooed worriedly at his side. Bonnie stepped back, reaching a hand up to clasp at the strap of her bag. Dedenne popped his head out, whiskers twitching.

"I'll tell you all I know at home."

* * *

Bonnie ran a brush softly down the tiny crooks of her pokemon's back, the darkening sky shining brightly with soft shades of purple and pink.

"Nne nne…" The electric rodent sighed, leaning in further to the soothing brush strokes of his trainer.

"Hehe, am I getting that good?" Bonnie giggled, lifting the brush away.

"De nne!" Dedenne whined, turning around and reaching up with tiny paws to pull the brush back down, black whiskers twitching indignantly. Behind the pair, the sound of twigs cracking brought their attention away from grooming. Shifting, Bonnie jumped at the sight of her brother stepping clumsily out of the surrounding forest into the clearing where they had set up camp.

"Oh, hey bro!" Bonnie jumped up, Dedenne reeling back in shock from the sudden movement and falling on his back. "I was just setting up my tent," the blonde girl fumbled, dashing forward to pick up her folded up Shellder tent, her brother walking towards her in large strides.

"Don't bother," The Gym leader muttered, walking past his sister. The girl blinked, rooted to the spot. She had been expecting stern words for being caught shirking her work- but there was no brotherly disapproval present.

Dedenne managed to roll over back on his feet, round black ears flicking in confusion to what was going on. Bonnie turned slowly.

"Whaa?" She breathed, slouching in confusion at the sight of her brother kneeling down and re-rolling his sleeping bag, pajamas already shoved back into the bag. "Clemont, what are you doing? We just settled down for the night an hour ago-"

"We're leaving," He muttered.

"W-what?" Bonnie stepped forward, trying to get closer. "We're relocating camp?"

"No, we're leaving. Just you and me." Clemont confirmed, voice slightly louder. Tying the sleeping bag tightly shut, he began to tie it to his bag.

"B-but-" Bonnie stuttered. Her brother's face was ducked, glasses hiding any expression on his face. "Why are you- You can't just say that!" She took a different approach, stomping up to stand above the kneeling boy. "You can't leave! And you can't decide for me that I'm leaving!" Bonnie's face began to heat up, and her eyes began to sting. Dedenne scampered into her bag laying at the side of camp. "W-why would you say that we're leaving? Ash is so close to getting his last badge, and- Why are you still packing up?!" Bonnie was shouting now, and a tear streamed down the side of her face. She wiped it away angrily with a palm, not knowing why she was crying.

Clemont stopped, pulling his hands away from the bag half-tied on his backpack. Looking up, Bonnie saw her brother's face in a fairly similar state to hers. His cheeks were heated up, and his eyes blood-stained. Reaching forward, the blonde pulled his little sister into an embrace.

She sniffed, and tried to wriggle out of his hold. She was mad at him, and a hug wasn't going to fix that! "Wh-why would you say that we're leaving?" The little girl repeated, struggles growing weaker.

Her brother offered no reply, and only squeezed her tighter. Relenting, Bonnie let herself relax and cry into her brother's shoulder. After a few minutes and still no reply to her questions, Bonnie pulled away, wiping her nose on her wrist.

"You don't have to come with me." Clemont relented, once again casting his gaze on the ground and hiding his face from view. Bonnie hugged herself and took a few steps backwards, shaking her head.

"Good, c-cus I'm gonna stay. I don't wanna leave!" She tried her best to sound firm, but her statement came out as more of a wail.

Clemont sat still for a while longer. "Okay." He murmured, turning back to picking up scattered piles of clothes and machine parts of his around the camp.

Bonnie stood, watching him with narrowed eyes and a quivering lip. After a few minutes, she huffed, and turned to quickly pack up her few supplies without looking at her brother.

When Clemont was done packing, he stood still with his backpack strapped on, staring deadpan into the woods. Throwing on her shoulder bag with Dedenne hiding inside, she stomped up to her brother.

"D-do we really have to do this?" She asked one last time, hugging herself again as the sun was almost completely gone from the sky.

Clemont remained silent, only nodding in response, tearing his gaze away from the woods at their side. Without breaking his silence, he started off, walking back from the direction they had arrived in. Bonnie waited a few more seconds before following after him, casting a longing glance back to the campsite they were abandoning. Dedenne peeked out of her bag with flat ears, also looking back at the camp.

Tearing her gaze away, Bonnie hurried after her brother, noticing how he had picked up the pace. Soon, the camp was lost behind the trees, and Bonnie could hear the shaky breaths of her brother ahead.

* * *

Bonnie finished her story, holding her hot chocolate with both hands, staring into the deep brown.

"...and that's it?" Ash questioned, setting down his drink on the wooden dining table. "That can't be it!"

"That's barely more than we knew when we came here…" Serena trailed off, also lowering her gaze to her hot chocolate. Braxien, released from her pokeball earlier, whined softly, pushing her head underneath Serena's arm to lay her chin in her trainers lap.

"That certainly is strange," Bonnie and Clemont's father spoke up, scratching his beard. "And to think, last time I saw you kids he was so set on going through with this journey..." Moving his hand up from his beard, Myer slumped his shoulders and covered his eyes. "I was so moved by his determination…."

"Daddy..." Bonnie half smiled, brushing a lock of hair that had escaped from her ponytail aside.

"It doesn't make any sense," Ash muttered, tightly gripping his mug.

Serena, sitting across from him, began to lean forward, reaching out a hand to comfort him- but seemed to think better of it, leaning back in her seat. Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her, and the older girl pretended not to notice.

"Do you know where he went before he came back to camp?" Ash questioned, breaking the silence.

Bonnie sipped her drink, thinking. "I think he just left to gather firewood."

Ash shook his head. "No, I was gathering firewood that night."

"Then he must have gone to help you, or train his pokemon, or something." The blonde girl shrugged. "I'd remember if it was important."

"Something must have happened while he was out," Serena commented.

Mulling over it now won't do you kids any good." Myer stood up, stretching his large arms over his head. "It's getting late, we should head off to bed." The kids noded in union, leaning back to finish their drinks.

"Serena, you can sleep in my room again!" Bonnie set her cup down, smiling over at the older girl.

Serena grinned warmly back. "Thank you, Bonnie."

Ash sighed, leaning back in his chair with his fingers locked together behind his head. "Guess that leaves me alone sleeping alone on the couch."

Bonnie shot him a look, raising an eyebrow. "Whadda mean? You can sleep in Clemont's room, ya know."

Ash blinked. "W-what? Clemont has a room?" Immediately realising how dumb that sounded, Ash continued without paying too much mind to the girl's giggling. "I mean- why didn't he sleep in his room last time we were here?"

Bonnie, suppressing a few more giggles, jumped out of her chair, waving him off. "Well, his room _is _super duper messy. There are gears and springs and robot parts _everywhere._" Leading the two older kids away from the kitchen, the young girl headed towards the bedrooms. "I guess he just slept out in the living room 'cus he didn't want you to be lonely, Ash."

* * *

_**Author Notes:** If I was titling these chapters, I think this one would be "In Which Ash Shouts Clemont's Name Over and Over Again." But honestly, I'm super glad to step out of that mountain of monologue that was going on in last chapter. Now we've moved on to dialog! *high five's all around yeaaay* _

_Uh, on a separate note, sorry for making you all wait over a month for this chapter. There were holidays, finals, a new year... shit goes down, I won't get into it. Thanks for sticking with me, and here's to the next chapter not taking forever!_


	4. Chapter 4

Clemont woke up slowly, eyes prying open to stare duly at the ceiling. Flexing his fingers, he dragged himself into a sitting position on the small couch that had been his bed the night before. Turning to face the glass wall of Prism Tower behind him, the sun shone bright. Squinting and re-adjusting the glasses that he realized he had forgotten to take off the night before, Clemont guessed that it was around eight or nine in the morning. Groaning to himself, the gym leader slid off his couch and stood up, briskly smoothing the wrinkles out of his jumpsuit. Setting his hands on his waist, he looked up. A glowing pair of red and yellow eyes stared back at him, the owner of eyes laying curled up on the couch across from his trainer.

"Ah- Luxray." Clemont greeted, pausing to clear his throat. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to return you to your Pokeball last night."

The lion pokemon growled quietly in response.

"Here, I think I left it somewhere by the door-" Side stepping the coffee table separating trainer and pokemon, clemont walked forward a few steps before his stomach interrupted him.

"Ah ha, guess I'm hungrier than I thought." Turning back, the blonde boy caught the lion pokemon rolling his eyes and jumping off of his couch. "We should have some food back there."

Clemont made his way over to the mini fridge sitting by his cluttered desk with Luxray following at his side. Kneeling down, the gym leader opened the small white door to reveal nothing but cold air wafting out to greet the pair. Luxray hissed in frustration, reaching a paw forward to bat the small door closed. Clemont lifted his hand away hurriedly.

"Ah, it's not that bad. I haven't touched this fridge in months, the food in here probably would have been no good to eat anyways." Luxray ignored his trainer, padding off to sulk in a corner.

Huffing, the gym leader headed back to the corner room where most of his mechanic parts, including Clembot, lay. "You can relax in your Pokeball for now, I'll let you out when I bring back some food-" Cutting himself off, Clemont froze. After entering the side room, a small flutter in the side of his vision caught his eye. Turning, he saw a small yellow legal pad paper folded up flat in front of the door- slid in from the small space between the bottom of the door and the floor. Though seemingly innocent, its presence set off an alarm in the gym leader's head. Even with his mind rhythmically chanting at him to walk away, Clemont stepped forward and picked it up.

Walking back into the main room, Clemont sat back down on the futon where he had slept. The sunlight streamed in through the glass wall of Prism Tower behind him, giving the yellow paper a glowing effect. Luxray padded up, leaning forward to sniff the paper suspiciously. Slowly, the blonde unfolded the paper, running his pinched fingers over the creases to smooth it out.

Clemont couldn't hold back his sigh of relief when he recognized his little sister's messy handwriting. "Ash and Serena left this morning. Come out for lunch." He read out loud for Luxray. Grunting, the cat pokemon began making his way to the door, leaving Clemont sitting alone.

He knew that he should be happy that the pair left town, but the gym leader still felt a pain in his chest knowing that his friends had really left. He thought that Bonnie might have left with them this time- It wouldn't have been her first time traveling with just Ash and Serena, and though he offered, he knew he hadn't given her much of a choice the first time. Clemont smiled softly down at the paper in his hands. He was glad that she stayed.

After hearing Luxray growl impatiently from the other room, the blonde was also glad that she had offered to go out for lunch with him. Letting the paper fall to the floor, Clemont stood up and walked into the small side room with Luxray. Quickly spotting his Pokeball on the table, he returned the cat pokemon, murmuring his thanks. Entering a number combination on the panel next to the locked doors, they slowly pulled apart, pistons hissing in protest. Sliding Luxray's ball into his pocket, Clemont turned his head to the left, catching a flash of movement.

"Finally! I thought that you'd never come out!" Bonnie huffed, jumping up with Dedene perched on top of her blonde hair. The rodent squeaked in protest, scrambling to keep his balance.

Smiling, Clemont apologized. "I didn't mean to sleep in so late." He paused. "Uh, about the way I acted yesterday-"

"Shushh!" Bonnie jumped forward to bounce up and down, waving her hands in front of her brother's face urgently. "That's what lunch is for!"

Blinking, the gym leader stepped back, cocking an eyebrow at the younger girls actions.

"Oh, you have no right to judge me!" His sister paused, placing her hands on her hips and sticking her tongue out. "C'mon, I'm starving! Let's go!" Reaching forward, she grabbed her brother's hand and made for the elevator, ignoring his shouts of protest as he struggled to regain his balance.

* * *

Despite how eager she seemed to be to eat before, Bonnie became quiet and reserved upon sitting down in the cafe outside of Prism Tower. Her small legs swung back and forth under her chair, unable to reach the entire distance to the floor. Dedene had since climbed off her head, and now sat with Luxray on the floor sharing a bowl of Pokemon food favored by electric types. Unable to bear the silence, Clemont spoke up.

"Did you lose your appetite?" Bonnie jumped in her seat, looking up at her brother, then down at her nearly un-touched meal.

"I guess," She smiled apologetically. "But hey, it's not like it cost you anything." She added, beginning to act more like herself.

"That doesn't mean you should skip on a meal just because it's free," Clemont scolded, pulling his fork from his mouth to shake at his sister sternly. '_And it was nice to see someone who was actually glad that I'm here,'_ He added, not daring to say it out loud in fear of ruining his sister's mood- or that the waitress might hear him and feel guilty for giving out free pastries.

Bonnie giggled, wiggling in her seat. Clemont smiled, and returned to his meal. A few seconds later, the blonde girl picked up her own fork and began eating herself.

Clemont began to feel content. It might take a few days, but things would be able to return to normal soon. Later he could go home and say hello to his father, then he'd be able to re-open the gym and start taking challengers on a regular schedule again-

"So, uhm." Bonnie spoke up, settling her fork on her plate with a clinking noise. "Wh… Why did you leave?"

Clemont froze with a forkful of cream halfway to his open mouth. Slowly, he lowered his food, closing his jaw. He knew that this question was going to come up, of course. But…

The blonde cleared his throat. "I… I just-" He cut himself off, rubbing his palms on his jumpsuit pants. "... It doesn't matter anymore." he murmured, returning to his food.

Bonnie pursed her lips, turning once more to glance at the Gym outside the window before returning to her own food.

* * *

Their meal ended with Clemont tipping their waitress generously, prompting Bonnie thank her for the free meal after he had. Returning the purring lion pokemon to his pokeball and Dedene to Bonnie's purse, they entered Prism Tower together. Walking up to the elevator, Clemont almost stopped his sister. Her steps seemed stiff, and her arms were tensed up at her sides. They stepped on the elevator, Clemont leaning over the railing to push a button to take the pair to the top. As soon as the elevator began rising, Bonnie gripped her brother's waist in her arms, hugging him tightly.

"B-Bonnie?" Clemont exclaimed, reaching a hand back to grab the railing for support.

"P-Please don't hate me!" His sister sobbed, pressing her face into his stomach. "I'm sorry!"

"Bonnie, I don't hate you!" Clemont hunched over awkwardly, trying to return the hug. "Why would you think that I-"

"It was a trick," Bonnie interrupted, pulling her face up to fix her puffy eyes on her brother. "We didn't know how we could get you to come out, and-"

Realization hit Clemont like a brick. Placing his hands on his sister's shoulder, he slowly pushed her away, looking to see how many floors they had left.

3

Bonnie whined as she was pushed away. "I'm sorry! You've been acting so weird lately-"

2

"It was they only way that we could think to get you to talk to us!"

1

"Bro, please-" Bonnie was interrupted by the sounds of the doors sliding open. Clemont reeled back, pushing as far against the wall opposite the opening doors as he could manage. The dim elevator lighting was quickly overtaken by the harsher fluorescent lighting of the gym battlefield. Re-adjusting his glasses, Clemont's suspicions were realized. Ash and Serena stood in the middle of the pokeball emblem in the center of the field, looking expectantly at the open elevator.

Bonnie hesitated in the doorway. When her brother didn't make eye contact with her, she scurried out to stand with Ash and Serena. Clemont felt fine remaining in the elevator, but after a few moments, he stepped out as well.

"Clemont," Ash spoke up, stepping forward. "We're just here to talk to you- Clemont!" Ash's voice broke off, shouting at the gym leader.

The gym leader turned and began to walk in long strides to his side room, once again trying to avoid contact with the pair.

"Hawlucha!" Ask shouted from behind Clemont. Catching sight of the pokeball flying overhead, the blonde froze, stumbling backwards as the fighting-type bird materialized in front of him, standing with his wing arms spread out in the doorway.

"Lucha!"

Gritting his teeth, the gym leader spun around. "Ash, recall Hawlucha!"

"Why should I?" The trainer shot back, catching the pokeball in his hand as it flew back at him. "You're just going to hide in there again!"

Clemont felt his face heat up. "I-I wasn't hiding!" Crossing his arms, he turned back towards the elevator.

Realizing the other escape option, Ash raced towards him. The gym leader froze in place after the trainer flew past him, skidding to a halt in front of the elevator doors. Turning, Ash stood with his legs and arms spread open (much like his pokemon before), blocking the entrance.

"Ash, come on!" Clemont groaned, slumping his shoulders.

"No, Clemont!" Ash shouted back, holding his ridiculous pose as if he expected the blonde to try and dart forward at any moment to try and get past him. "We aren't leaving without you! Why don't you get that?!"

"Please," Clemont glanced over his shoulder, seeing Serena walking closer with Bonnie holding onto the side of her shirt. "Just tell us why you left, and we'll figure something out so you can come with us again-"

"No!" Clemont broke out, swinging around to face the short-haired brunette. "I wo- I can't travel with you guys anymore! Why can't you-" He cut himself off, glaring down at his shoes. He heard Serena take in a sharp breath and step back.

Clemont let himself breath deeply before turning back to face the spiky-haired trainer. "Ash, you have no business here. You _have_ the Voltage Badge, there's nothing I can-"

"I don't _care_ about my badge!" Ash snapped, finally relaxing his arms and stepping forward. "I care about _you_, Clemont!" The gym leader knew that the last thing he need right now was for his face to turn red, but, well. "We all do!" Clemont looked down, quickly clearing his throat as Ash went on. "If there's something going on, you gotta tell us! We're not going back without you," Ash finished, gasping for a breath.

The blonde looked up again, fixing his glasses and praying that his blush was fading. "Ash, _really_, I can't help you. I've told you, you already have the Voltage Badge-"

"Screw the badge!" Ash exploded. Fuming, he pulled his jacket open, fumbling to pull out his rectangular case. Clicking it open, he pulled out his Voltage Badge and held it out accusingly, arm extended.

Clemont felt something rise up within him. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "What do you think-"

"I don't want this badge anymore!" Ash shouted, squeezing the pin in his fingertips until it shook. "If you'll only talk to challengers, then fine-" Swinging his arm back, the trainer threw the badge across the room. It landed past Serena and Bonnie, sliding to a halt in a cloud of dust. "I challenge you!"

Clemont swung his head back around to glare at Ash, glasses flashing. "You want to battle that badly?" The gym leader snarled, swinging an arm back to his waist, grabbing a pokeball. "Fine then!" In the back of his mind, Clemont could hear Serena shouting something- but his vision seemed hazy, the only thing he could focus on was the trainer standing in front of him. Taking a few steps back to the center of the Gym, the blonde chucked a pokeball in the air. "Luxray!"

The lion pokemon echoed his trainer's roar as he emerged from the bright red flash of the pokeball.

"Pikachu!" Ash barked, though the mouse pokemon was already running to stand in front of his trainer, sparks flying from the red pouches on his cheeks.

"Crunch!" Clemont wasted no time, swinging his arm out while giving his command. Luxray reacted without hesitance, clearing the distance between the two pokemon in two leaps.

"Dodge it!" Pikachu lept out of the way at the last second, leaving the lion biting the air. Ash himself stepped back a few paces, back against the wall. Growling, he gave his next order. "Quick Attack!"

"Discharge!" Clemont countered.

Pikachu turned, paws shuffling in the sand of the Gym floor, before hurling himself at Luxray almost too fast for the eye to follow. In turn, Luxray narrowed his dual-colored eyes, fur shaking as an orb of electric energy expanded around the lion. Pikachu squeezed his small eyes shut, flinching as he passed through the sparking field, but still managing to hit Luxray on the side.

The lion pokemon roared, staggering back a few paces. Both electric types shook their heads before looking back up to glare at the other.

"Chh," Clemont scoffed, stepping back.

Hands balled into fists, Ash stepped forward. "Iron tail!" He commanded.

Pikachu darted forward, leaping up and swinging in the air as his tail glowed, then shined with a metallic glint. Without time to react, the rodent's attack landed square on Luxray's head. Bellowing in pain, the lion staggered back, shaking his mane.

"Luxray!" The gym leader cried out. The pokemon roared back, star tail whipping back and forth. Nodding, Clemont extended an arm. "Alright, use Swift!"

Luxray leaped into the air, swinging around to release gleaming stars from the glow of his tail.

"Pikachu, dodge!" Ash called out.

Clemont balled his hands into tight fists. Ash knew that swift always hit. Why was he trying to command Pikachu to dodge?

The yellow mouse helplessly weaved through the first few stars, but ultimately took the hit. Reeling back, he skidded to a halt, shaking it off.

Ash nodded, taking another step forward. "Alright, Iron Tail again!"

Again, Luxray took the hit, stumbling back, but managing to keep his footing.

"Thunder Fang!" The gym leader ordered.

The lion pokemon leaped forward, sparks forming at his jaw. Pikachu tried to leap away, but Luxray managed to catch him by the tail. Luxray shook his opponent viciously, sparks exploding from his jaws. Pikachu screeched, short legs stretching to their full length to try and break free from the grip.

"Thunder Bolt!" Ash shouted, swinging his arm forward.

Wriggling free from the lion's teeth, Pikachu landed on the ground, turning quickly to face the other pokemon with sparks exploding from his cheeks. His attack flew forward, hitting the other pokemon with an audible crack. Luxray stumbled back, barely managing to hold his footing. A few stray sparks hit the floor of the arena, kicking up a dust cloud that hid both trainer and gym leader's views of the battle.

After the crackle and pop of electricity died down, both boys stood still holding their breaths, waiting for the dust to clear. After a few anxiety-ridden moments passed, Clemont caught sight of a flash of Luxrays stared tail, then Ash standing on the other side of the field. The sand cloud faded, and thought significantly battered up, both electric pokemon were still standing.

Clemont gritted his teeth, hands tightening into fists at his sides. This battle was far from over. "Luxray, Crunch!"

* * *

Their battle didn't last much longer after Pikachu just managed to knock out Luxray. The rest of Clemont's pokemon were significantly weaker for being left at the Gym and not having the opportunity to grow from a journey like Ash's pokemon had. After defeating Luxray, Ash called Hawlucha in to substitute for Pikachu- And even with the type advantage, Clemont couldn't manage to do much damage with Helioptile or Magneton.

After the steel-type fell from Hawlucha's High Jump Kick, Clemont returned it to its pokeball, steaming from his losses. Once again he reached around his back, but grasped at thin air. Eye's deepening in realization, he slowly straightened up, slumping his shoulders.

"Ok," He muttered.

"Ok what?" Ash echoed, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you giving up?"

The gym leader shook his head, looking at the ground in between his feet. "I have no pokemon left. You win."

The black haired trainer narrowed his eyes, mouth opening. "What about Chepin? And Bunnelby?"

Clemont shook his head. "I'm a gym leader. I specialize in electric types- I don't have room for them anymore."

Ash stepped forward, fists shaking at his sides. "So, what- you just threw them out?"

The blonde shook his head again, not looking up. Instead, he turned around, walking past Serena and Bonnie huddled together against the side wall- no doubt shaken from the violent battle. Scanning the ground, Clemont spotted what he was looking for. Bending over, The gym leader picked up Ash's discarded badge and headed back to the hot-headed trainer, feet scuffing the sandy floor.

"Here." He held out the pin, standing in front of the trainer. "Take it."

Ash stared at Clemont. When the blonde refused to meet his gaze, Ash reached forward and snached his badge back, shoving it in a pocket and opening his mouth to speak.

"So, now will you-"

"Good luck on your journey, Ash." Clemont looked up at the boy, lips tightened to a thin white line but still managing a smile. He turned, looking over his shoulder. "You too, Serena. Bonnie."

His little sister began to cry, shoving her face into the older girl's side. Serena bent over in an attempt to calm her. Clemont turned away, walking slowly to his back room.

"No- Clemont, you can't do this!" Ash reached forward and grabbed his friend's arm. Clemont flinched away violently, reeling back as if Ash had physically hit him. Without being called out, Luxray exploded out of his pokeball, snarling savagely.

Startled, Ash let go, stumbling backwards. Clemont kept his gaze turned away, his body shivering and hunched over.

"Clemont…"

The boy stilled. He slowly raised back into his full height, though the lion pokemon at his side still kept his hackles raised. He craned his neck back to look at Ash. Tears were welling in his eyes, and by the distraught look on Ash's face, he guessed that it was visible.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't. I know that you can make it, Ash. Don't let me hold you back."

The gym leader turned around, and followed his pokemon into his back room, closing the doors on his friends for the last time.

* * *

_**Author Notes: **jfc this chapter was a roller coaster to write. It starts with that drab monolouge that we've all come to love from the beggining chapters, then goes on the be a huge angst-filled battle scene (Which, by the way, I was kinda on the fence about even adding. I haven't written a battle scene like this before- any critique?), and ended like Chapter 2 with a wimpy Clemont who refuses to talk about his problems then cries about them._

_I can relate to him on a spiritual level._

_Lastly, if you couldn't tell already, this fic is /set in the future/, so there's going to be slight spoils regarding all the info that I can horde. That bit about Bonnie traveling with Ash and Serena alone- that happens after the episode where Luxio evolves. Also, I originally had Ash using Goodra for his battle against Clem, but a few of my sources say that Goodra might not be sticking around, (*bah dum tis*) so I left him out. __idk, it'd make more sense to me if Ash had sent out Goodra to block Clemont from going in his side room, but I want to stay as canon as I can, so nyeh. _

_As always, please reveiw! Your reveiw make me wanna work harder and faster, cus then I'm like _

_'o shit people are actually reading this'_


	5. Chapter 5

The gym leader paced back and forth, mind in turbulence. He would walk a few paces in the center of the room, arms stiff and fingers twitching at his sides, thinking about his outburst- how betrayed Ash must feel, whether they would be leaving by now- is Ash going to come back again? What would Clemont say if he did? Then the blonde would stop suddenly, jerk back, turn sharply around and try to make sense of his jumbled thoughts and emotions. Luxray, sitting at the side, would occasionally chatter nervously, trying to step in front of his master to stop him- but without pause, Clemont would step around the lion, running a hand through his hair and adjusting his glasses.

Eventually, the boy managed to calm down enough to force his legs still. The shine on his glasses hid his eyes from view, but there was no one there to hide from. Raising a hand to his face, Clemont removed his round glasses. The metal frame rattled from the shaking of his hand. He grabbed the sleeve of his jumpsuit in his free hand and ran it over his forehead, drying the sweat that was beginning to bead. Luxray nudged Clemont's legs with his head, pulling his attention down.

The lion pokemon stared up at Clemont with his two-tones eyes wide with worry for his trainer. Again, he chirruped softly.

"Luxray… nng," The blonde groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and bringing his glasses back up to his face. He messaged a temple, stumbling over to sit on a couch. The gym leader collapsed on the same couch that he had slept on the night before, with his back turned to the windows overlooking Lumiose. Luxray laid his chin on the cushion, never taking his eyes off of the boy.

Clemont sat in silence for a long while, willing his mind to empty. He focused on the soft chirps of fletchling bleeding through the glass behind him, the sunbeams filtering softly onto the back of his neck. Forcing his breathing to slow, Clemont could just make out the sounds of kids shouting in the streets below Prism Tower. Closing his eyes, the boy reached out blindly to rub his pokemon's ears. Luxray leaned into the touch eagerly, emanating a deep purr in response to the scritches. The blonde sighed along with Luxray's purring. No matter what happened next, a panic attack wouldn't do him any good.

He opened his eyes and stared dully at the opposite wall. He was foolish to think that Ash would leave yesterday. Of course that brash boy wouldn't give up that easily. Ash had won every battle between the two of them- Clemont's outburst and the spontaneous re-match earlier was evident of that. Lightly, the blonde bit his bottom lip. This was the battle that he had to win.

The distant chirping of the fletchings was abruptly interrupted with a far louder and sharper bird shriek. Both trainer and pokemon on the couch jumped from the sudden, loud cry. As Clemont turned to look out the window, his pounding heart rose to his throat as he realized that he recognized the pokemon call.

As Clemont feared, the bright red plumage of a Talonflame soon became visible, rising to become level with the glass wall. As the falcon ascended higher, Clemont's eyes widened as he noticed a familiar yellow mouse perched in between the bird's rotating shoulder blades. When he saw the boy with a backwards hat gripping the bird's ankles with one hand, the other arm extended to keep his balance, Clemont jumped off the couch, holding his hands up to his mouth to contain the scream that threatened to tear out of him.

The boy locked eyes with the gym leader. Even from afar, and with him dangling a good few hundred feet in the air, Clemont could see the determination across his gritting teeth and creased brow.

"_Ash!_" Clemont ran to the window, hearing the patter of Luxray's paws running next to him.

When the blonde reached the window, he slammed his palms against the glass, quickly glancing down at the street below to make sure that they were still as high up as he remembered. Spotting the colored dots on the ground that he assumed to be Serena and Bonnie, he concluded that they were even higher up than he remembered. The boy looked back up, staring at Ash bobbing in the grip of Talonflame, Pikachu peering over the side of the bird. The trio were a few feet away from the windows, but Clemont could still hear Pikachu's worried cries.

"What are you doing?" Clemont screamed at his window. Talonflame faltered for a moment, losing balance and dipping down for half a second. Clemont swore that his heart froze for that half second, only resuming its pounding when the bird leveled out again, shaking his feathery head.

Visibly tightening his grip around the scorching pokemon, Ash replied, eyes fiery. "You said that if I beat you, we could talk!" Although it was clear that he was shouting, Clemont could only just make out his muffled voice through the glass. Swinging up his free arm, Ash pointed directly at the glass above Clemont's head. "Talonflame, use Brave Bird!" That, Clemont understood perfectly.

"_No!_" The blonde boy screamed, stepping back and waving his arms above his head frantically. Talonflame reared back, preparing to break through the glass- but Ash held up his hand, moving his lips to to say what Clemont could only pray was 'wait'.

Clemont backed up, still holding his hands up in front of his chest to signal that Ash stay still. Quickly, he turned around, and raced to the corner to grap the chair away from his desk. As he picked it up, he decided that the best scientific discovery was adrenaline, as he made it back to the windows carrying the chair within seconds.

Climbing on top of the chair, Clemont quickly undid a latch, standing on his tip toes to push forward a flat rectangular window. The window was barely two and a half feet tall, but stretched six feet lengthwise. Clemont bit his tongue, a cold sweat forming on his back as he realized that the window was barely large enough to fit Ash. Talonflame slowly started to advance forward.

Ash began to swing his legs back and forth, gaining enough momentum to land his feet in the windowsill. Clemont, still standing on the chair, reached as far as he could and grabbed the boy's ankles, working to keep him steady as Talonflame eased him in. Turning on his stomach so he could fit his waist through the narrow gap, Ash called to Pikachu, still sitting on Talonflame's back. Nodding, the rodent skittered down the falcon's body, lightly stepping over Ash's back as a bridge. Pikachu climbed down onto Clemont's shoulder, and jumped to the ground, landing safely.

Ash continued to ease in as far as he could. Talonflame cawed again, the tips of his feathers hitting the extended glasspane, hindering his flying. Slowly, Ash released his grip from the bird as Talonflame did the same, flying back to carefully observe his master's landing.

Grunting from the effort, Clemont rose his grip to circle his arms around Ash's waist, trying to support him until his feet touched the chair. Ash was doubled over out of the window, palms finding traction on the outside of the glass and face turning red from hanging upside down. He quickly lifted an arm to hold his hat on his head when it began slipping. Luxray paced behind them, growling occasionally while Pikachu cooed softly with worry. The chair began to creak from the weight of the two young boys on top of it. Clemont worried that it might break- but it was quickly drowned out by the other thousand worries flashing behind his eyes at the moment. The process was painfully slow, but both teens sighed from relief and exhaustion when Ash's feet touched the wooden base of the chair. Grinning, Clemont let go, sliding off the the chair and offering Ash his hand to help him down.

When Ash took it, Clemon't giddy grin faltered. Ash jumped off the chair, hair more wild than usual, also smiling like an idiot. Dropping Clemont's hand, he picked off his hat and turned it back around so it was facing forward. Pikachu jumped into his arm, electricity sparking off his red cheek pouches as he cried out happily. Ash hugged his partner, oblivious that Clemont's smile had long since faded.

Ash reached for a pokeball on his waist as Pikachu settled in his usual place of Ash's shoulder. Thanking Talonflame, Ash aimed the red light through the window that he had just crawled through to recall the bird. The spiky-haired boy placed the pokeball back in place at his waist.

"Ash," The boy turned, looking puzzled. When he saw Clemont's face, his own hardened like a mirror to the blonde's. "W-what were you thinking? You could have hurt yourself!" Clemont's throat began to tighten, a feeling that was becoming very familiar over the past few days.

"Well what else was I supposed to do, Clemont?" Ash said back, voice raising to a shout. "You won't tell us what's up with you!" Re-thinking his position, Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder, jumping away to give the two humans space to have their own kind of battle. Luxray stayed close behind his trainer, eyes narrowed. "So," Ash quieted down, realizing that he had frightened Pikachu away. "... What's up with you?"

Clemont whipped his head to the side, looking down to avoid eye contact. "It's not important," He whispered hoarsely.

"Yes it is!" Ash stepped forward. On cue, Luxray forced his way in between the boys, hissing menacingly at Ash. He stumbled back, confused and caught off guard. Pikachu raced back, skidding into a battle position in front of Ash, shouting protectively. Luxray snarled, though it was obvious he was still sore from their earlier battle, while Pikachu looked fresh from the pokemon center.

"Luxray, stop." Clemont surprised himself with the sound of his voice. Luxray turned back, looking hurt and confused. Clemont shook his head, pulling his pokeball from the side of his waist and returning the lion. He murmured an apology to the ball, and stepped forward to set it down on the small glass table in between the couches.

Silence stretched for a few more moments as Clemont kept his back to Ash, trying to gather himself. Pikachu slinked away again, dragging his tail on the ground and flattening his ears to his back.

Clemont hesitated for a moment longer, then slowly began walking to the doorway. He heard Ash jog after him when he reached the metal doors. Clemont held his hand above the silver panel attached to the wall. Closing his eyes, he lowered his hand, pressing his palm firmly against the cold metal. The mechanics whirred softly before it accepted Clemont's fingerprints, and the pistons in the doors once again released, sliding them open with a hiss.

"Clemont, please." Ash spoke up, taking a step towards the boy.

The blond turned. He wasn't facing Ash directly, instead looking at him from his peripheral vision. The shine on his glasses hid his eyes. He thought about saying something, and immediately decided that he didn't trust himself. "_Why?_ Why can't you just leave, Ash?" He spoke anyways.

Ash shifted, once again looking more angry than upset. "I'm not going to leave without you."

"Haven't I made it clear that I don't want to go with you and Serena? Why do you keep insisting- Why are you so bent on making me come with you?" Clemont didn't even sound upset anymore, even to himself. Just tired, and exasperated.

"You're my best friend." Ash said it so simply. As if Clemont was stupid for even needing to hear the words.

The blonde shook his head, stepping back until his back was against the wall, the panel and open doors to his right. Slowly, he slid down until he was sitting on the floor, his face hiding in his hands, elbows resting on his bent knees. Ash stepped in front of him.

"What's wrong Clemont? Why don't you want to come with us on our journey anymore?"

"..."

Ash was silent for a long while, looking down at the collapsed boy in front of him. "... Do you hate me?"

Clemont shook his head, not looking up. "No," He murmured, pausing to swallow.

"Do you hate Serena?"

He shook his head again.

"...Then what is it?" Ash asked quietly, stepping forward and squatting down, now eye-level with Clemont. "Why are we here?"

Clemont peaked out from in between his fingers. He slid his hands down his face, taking a deep breath. "It's stupid," He whispered.

"Not if it's the reason that all of this happened." Ash spoke intently, staring at Clemont with his blazing eyes.

"No, really," Clemont spoke again, gesturing vaguely with his hands. "It's incredibly, monumentally stupid, and petty, and-"

"Clemont." Ash interrupted.

Clemont ran a hand through his hair, stopping to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. A light blush began to spread. "I-I saw you. And Serena."

Ash blinked. "What?"

"I saw you…. and Serena… kiss."

* * *

Clemont stepped back, wiping grease off of his forehead and placing his hands on his hips to inspect his finished product. Before the boy sat a small metal monstrosity that looked like a cross of a coffee-maker and a pitching machine. Grinning, Clemont walked around it a few times, inspecting the outside for any blemishes before he dared to show Ash and Serena. Bonnie sat a few feet away, playing with Dedenne next to the tent that her brother had instructed her to set up. Suppressing a sigh, Clemont walked up to his sister.

"Bonnie!" He called, pulling her attention away from the small electric rodent squeaking happily in her lap.

"Hmm?" She turned slightly, much to the dismay of Dedenne, who tried to pull her attention back by nuding her hand.

"I'm gonna go show my invention to Ash. Will you be fine on your own?"

Bonnie absentmindedly scratched Dedenne behind an ear. "Didn't he go out to gather firewood with Serena, like, ten minutes ago?" She leaned back, staring past her brother at his invention sitting a little ways away. "And besides, what even is that thing?"

Clemont pouted, placing his hands on his hips. "It's my latest invention! I made it to help Ash train for Wulfric's gym- see, you pour water into the funnel at the top, and from the tube there it shoots out snowballs for Pikachu to dodge, all the while emitting a cold, icy steam to stimulate the circumstances of Wulfric's ice types-"

"Actually, I don't care." Bonnie turned her back, nose pointing in the air as she returned to petting Dedenne.

Her brother sighed, exasperated. "Well, anyways, they should have been back by now- I'm going to go look for them, and show Ash my invention."

"You're going to carry that?" The girl side-eyed his machine. "Isn't it kinda big for you?"

"Bonnie!" Clemont shouted. "It's barely a foot across- I'm not _that_ weak!"

"Hope it's lighter than it looks~" The blonde girl sang, again turning away and grinning devilishly.

Clemont growled, stomping back to pick up his contraption. "Just don't wander away from camp while I'm gone, _please_."

"Okay!" Bonnie giggled, falling over onto her back, holding a Dedenne in the air.

Clemont lifted his machine with both arms, hugging it to his chest, pushing Bonnies insult to the back of his mind. As he walked awkwardly into the forest following the direction that Ash and Serena had taken, he could hear Bonnie shout after him that he was traveling a long way just to blow that thing up, but he ignored her.

He walked quite far, often times having to backtrack to find the trail of broken twigs and trodden leaves left by the trainers. When the pain in his back began to outweigh the pain that his pride would take, Clemont dropped the metal box, doubling over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Fiddling with nuts and bolts was his strong suit, not his stamina.

When his breath slowed, he picked up the murmurs of voices. Holding his breath, he was able to discern the direction, and followed it, gripping the box. Growing closer, he picked up on the sound of running water. Not knowing why, he began to slow as he drew closer. When he spotted them through the dense branches, he froze.

They were together by a pool of water, sitting with their backs to Clemont. A small waterfall fell over a tall cliff in front of them, spraying shining droplets of water into the air like shooting stars. Ash was making wild gestures with his hands- through his head was turned, and voice undesernable, Clemont could hear the grin in his voice. Serena laughed with him, covering her mouth with her fingertips and shaking her shoulders. A pile of wood sat off to the side.

Clemont began to creep forward, thinking that he could announce his presence without surprising them- but he froze when Serena's hand lightly landed in Ash's shoulder. Ash seemed to glance at her hand placement, but he kept talking, still smiling. Serena tilted her head, looking directly at Ash. Clemont couldn't look away.

Of course he knew that Serena had a crush on the black haired boy- her flirting was obvious, but he always thought that she would be too shy to do anything other than blush at any time Ash spoke or looked at her. The boy continued with his story, now gesturing with one hand as his other supported his weight on the rocky beach. Serena lightly ran her fingers over his shoulder, head tilting and giggling. Minutes passed. The light became light blue as the sun began slipping behind the mountains. Clemont shivered. Ash looked at the sky. He opened his mouth, and Serena leaned in, closing her eyes-

Clemont staggered back, losing his grip on his machine. His gaze was torn away as he fumbled with the box, but it slipped, tumbling down and shattering on a rock. Terrified that the pair on the beach had heard him, he spun around and raced away. The leaves slapped his face and the branches bruised him, but he kept running, heart pounding in his throat and his mind numb.

* * *

_**Author Notes:** __hey, sorry this is a few months late. But hey, damn, we finally fins out what the hell happened to make Clemont such a crybaby. It probably was obvious for anyone who gave any thought to why Clemont might have run away, but hey, I came up with this plot when I was trying to fall asleep some night in November 2014. Reveiw if you enjoyed!_


	6. Chapter 6 FINAL CHAPTER

"-so I ended up having to wear a dress just to enter the gym!" Ash exclaimed, swinging his arms wide. Serena giggled, bringing her fingers to cover her mouth and her shoulders shaking. Ash leaned back, palms rubbing against the pebbles on the beach. He sighed at the memory. "Pikachu ended up recognising my scent or something, though. So it didn't really work anyways."

Serena let her hand fall, through her cheeks were still warm from laughing. "Wow, you'll really do whatever it takes to get a badge, won't you?"

"Of course!" Ash sat up straighter, grinning. "I'd wear a thousand dresses if that's what it'd take to fight for a Gym badge!" He made a fist in the air.

Serena broke out into a fit of giggles again. "Would that be over a thousand days, or all at once?"

Ash's confident grin faltered. "Uhh…"

Serena laughed louder, gipping her stomach and covering her mouth. Ash smiled, casting a quick glance down the beach to spot Pikachu and Eevee playing in the shallows a ways away. A light touch on his shoulder jolted him back into his conversation with Serena. He refocused, turning back to face her.

"Hopefully I'll have more luck in the Kalos league than I did in Kanto, though. I've come a long way from the ten year old kid that I was when I started my journey."

"You could've fooled me," Serena smiled.

Ash chuckled, shifting to stop his leg from falling asleep. Serena also shifted, facing him more clearly. Ash noticed that her hand was still on his shoulder, but he made no comment about it. "Oh, come on. There's no need to be mean about it, no one is ten forever."

"I guess you're right. I feel like I've grown so much just over the past few months, just by traveling with you." Serena's voice fell, acting embarrassed by what she was saying.

Ash blinked, surprised about the direction that the conversation had turned in. " I've learned a lot from you as well! And I know Bonnie looks up to you also," Serena smiled up at him, her thumb rubbing in circles on his shoulder.

Not sure how to feel about how close they had somehow become, Ash quickly glanced up at the darkening sky. "It's starting to get dark. We should probably-" His voice was suddenly muffled by the soft presence of Serena's lips on top of his.

He sat stunned for a moment, eyes widened and mouth slack compared to the girls lightly pursed lips. She pressed up against him softly, gently. Ash gerked, pulling his hands up to lightly push her away at the shoulders. "S-serena…"

A muffled crashing noise came from behind the pair. Ash turned, bringing a hand up to his mouth. "What was…" Pikachu called out, pulling the boy's attention away from the forest behind him to see the mouse and Eevee running up the beach to their trainers.

"Oh, Ash! I-I'm so sorry….! I didn't- I thought-" Throughout Serena's stuttering the pokemon had reached their trainers, jumping into their respective lap's. Pikachu nuzzled into Ash's palm, while Eevee tried to comfort her furiously blushing trainer by rubbing her head under the brunette's chin. "Ahh ha…" Serena fanned herself, glancing back at the waterfall in front of the pair, then down to the pebbles on the beach, then to Eevee in her lap.

"E-Eevee, return!" The girl quickly pulled out her Pokeball, enveloping the fuzzy pokemon in a flash or red. She stood up quickly, dusting sand off her skirt.

"W-wait! Serena!" Ash stood too, Pikachu settling on his shoulder. The girl was already beginning to briskly walk off, arms stiff at her sides. "Serena!" Ash called out again, stepping forward to grab her lightly by the wrist. "C-can we talk about what just happened?"

Serena stopped, looking over at him. The boy blushed, letting go. "I mean- I dunno, can we just like, clear this up? I really don't want us to be awkward, Serena." After a few tense moments, the girl sighed, settling down once more on the beach, sitting with her knees folded at her side and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Ok, yeah, that's a good idea." She sighed.

Ash sat down as well, Pikachu sliding down his front to curl up in his lap. The pair sat eye to eye for a moment, then looks opposite ways, blushes once again surfacing. Ash cleared his throat. "So, uh, that was- I mean, you kissed me back there."

Serena's blush deepened, but she nodded, still unable to look at the black haired boy directly. "Y-yeah, I- Sorry, I really should have asked permission first, I know. I tried looking it up in the pokecenter a few days ago, but Bonnie kept looking over my shoulder, so I had to keep switching tabs, and then she- aha.." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't know, I just thought- The scenery was perfect, we're all alone, and I thought that asking might have ruined the mood, and I wanted it to be spontaneous, so-" She stopped herself, burying her head in her hands. "Wow, I just do not know when to stop talking, do I?" her muffled voice escaped.

Ash felt a pain of guilt, raising his hands though she couldn't see him. "No, no! This is good! You know how dense I am, I just… ugh, I'm so sorry Serena. I don't want to make you feel like this." She raised her head.

"Ash, you've been making me feel this way for months! Ever since we started traveling together!"

"I-I have?"

"Yes!" Serena laughed, dropping her hands. "Do you really not know how efficiently you've ruined me?"

Ash's shoulder slumped, his chest heavy. "I-I'm sorry! I don't mean to! I thought that-"

"No! It's not a bad thing," Serena reassured him waving her hands to calm him.

"What? How is- Argh, I don't understand!" The boy threw up his arm in exasperation, most of it directed at himself. He flopped down on his back, spreading his arm and legs. Pikachu climbed onto his chest and laid down on his stomach to lick Ash's nose.

Serena laughed again. scooting over to sit beside the boy glaring at the sky. "No, It's like-" She sighed. "Ash, do you remember that time we were in camp together years ago?" She waited for him to nod. He shrugged. "Well, ever since then- Ever since I met you, you've always been in the back of my mind. When we started traveling together, I felt like I was so lucky- I mean, I was such a noob at pokemon training, and then I find you, who's this awesome aspiring master, and whose confident in all the ways that I'm not. You just- you inspired me so much! and I felt like I could learn so much from you.

"And while we were traveling, I just loved being in your presence. You're always so positive and sure about everything you do. I was just so amazed that this little kid I once knew for a week in summer cap who would _not shut up _about pokemon actually grew up to do all those things he said he would do. You're the the smartest, most amazing person I know, Ash." Serena averted her gaze, pushing back the same lock of hair that had once again escaped.

Ash stared at her, dumbfounded. "... Clemont's a lot smarter than me." She leaned over and flicked him in the forehead. "Ow!"

"We're not talking about Clemont right now, we're talking about us." She scolded, shaking a finger at him. He pushed it away, laughing, and sat up again.

"Wow. So you've really felt that was about me the whole time?"

"You really didn't know about it until now?" Serena countered. "I wasn't secret about it."

Ash rubbed the back of his head, laughing. "I-I guess so. I thought that was just the way you acted." She scoffed at him. "... Do you still like me?"

"...Do you like me?" She countered after a moment.

"... No, not like that." He apologized, half smiling. "But you're still one of my best friends! Kalos would have sucked if I hadn't met you. I really don't want to lose you."

Serena sighed, standing up and offering a hand to Ash. "That's really sweet of you, Ash. Thanks."

He stood up, letting Serena's hand drop when he was up fully. "... So-"

"Yes, I still like you." She sighed again, more exasperatedly. "But I'm not gonna let myself get heartbroken over you anymore. I'm almost seventeen now- that's like, the prime time for dating, right?" Ash shrugged, hopelessly lost. Serena didn't pay him much mind, already starting to walk off.

The boy jogged to catch up. "I'm sure you'll find someone." He tried to comfort her.

"'Course I'll find someone." She smiled, flashing him a V with her fingers. "I mean, have you seen me? Anyone who turns me down must be blind, deaf, and stupid."

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, shoving her shoulder. Pikachu giggled on his shoulder, sparks tickling his cheeks. The pair laughed, making their way through the forest back to camp.

"It's pretty dark now." Serena commented. "Think Clemont and Bonnie missed us?"

Ash glanced behind them, wincing. "Not after they find out we forgot the firewood. Hope they don't get too mad."

* * *

"... Oh."

Clemont swore that he would melt into the ground at any moment, his face was blazing, and Ash was looking away awkwardly now, rubbing the back of his neck, and _oh god he's looking at me again_.

Clemont covered his face with his hands, begging to combust into nothingness. Anything to get out of this situation. "Ahah! That's awkward." Ash laughed, dropping his hand. Clemot's eyes dilated behind his hands. How could Ash be laughing this off so easily? Especially compared to how childish Clemont himself was acting right now. "Wait- _That's_ why you left? I mean, I know you get embarrassed easily, with Bonnie always doing her thing, but that's no reason to just leave like that."

"No, no!" Clemont looked up, glasses crooked. "No, I… I was embarrassed, sure, but I didn't leave just because-" Clemont found that he couldn't finish that sentence. Embarrassment was actually a solid chunk of the reason why he left.

"Then why did you leave?" Ash pushed on, scooting closer, sitting with his legs crossed. Clemont hesitated, then looked away again, shaking his head and gritting his teeth. Ash swore, pounding his fist on the ground making Clemont jump.

"I don't get it! Clemont, why won't you come back with us? So what Serena kissed me, we worked things out! She said that- I dunno, something about me being stupid, and she was turning seventeen soon, and that's apparently the prime time or whatever- but she said that she's done pining after me. We're still friends, we worked things out!" He repeated, rambling.

Clemont blinked, confused but managing to piece together the fragments that he could understand. "Y-you and serena aren't a couple?"

"Uh." Ash sat still, dumbfounded for a moment. "N-no! She's my friend!" Ash rubbed his face, removing the blush that has showed up uninvited. "I mean- it was awkward, for a while, after you and Bonnie left. We were traveling alone together for a few days. We met Shauna in Santalune City, Serena talked with her for a bit…" Ash trailed off, rubbing his neck again. Clemont looked at the space in between his shoes, brow furrowed.

Ash's face lit up suddenly. "Clemont, were you jealous?" The blonde jerked up suddenly, back straight and eyes wide. His bottom lip quivered as he tried to form words. "I- I- No! I mean…" He trailed off, pausing to take a deep breath and compose himself. "I mean… yeah, maybe a little."

"You ran away Clemont! That's more than a little." Ash scoffed. silence stretched on for a few moments as Clemont continued to try and get his breath under control. "Sooooo… You like Serena?"

The blonde summoned every last drop of his self control to stop himself from standing up and hitting the oblvious teen. instead, he clenched his teeth and shifted so he was no longer hugging his knees, instead he sat on top of them, weary of how open he was now. "No." He stated carefully,trying to hide the fact that he was terrified of where this conversation was going. "I-I mean, she's a great friend, but… not like _that._"

"B-but you said that you were jealous when she kissed me!" Ash almost whined, confusion clouding his brain. Clemont remained silent, refusing to tear his gaze away from the immediate ground in front of him. The silence stretched on.

"Wait… do you like _me?_"

Clemont's breath hitched. A thousand excuses flew through his head. He drew his fingers in, tightening his hands into fists on the floor in front of him. Eyes glued to the floor, he nodded tersely.

There was no response. After an entire minute of awkward silence, Clemont dared to glance up, part of him expecting that Ash had just silently just gotten up and walked away. But Ash still kneeled in front of him, arms draped across his knees, staring directly at the wall past Clemont's head.

"Uhh… Ash?" Clemont shakily questioned. The boy's face was black haired boy slowly reached a hand to Clemont face- paused for a second, and nimbly picked the blonde's round glasses off of his face. "A-Ash!"

Ash placed the glasses on his own face, blinking a few times before his goofy smile returned. "Man, you really are as blind as a zubat. How can these things _help_ you see better?"

"Ash!" Clemont pulled his arms into his sides, blush deepening. "Weren't you paying attention? I said I liked-"

"Is it alright if I kiss you?"

"_What?_"

Ash sat patiently, waiting for Clemont's response. The inventor's mind had finally quieted, his heart hammering in his chest as he stares back at Ash's face still obstructed by his large glasses, magnifying Ash's eyes so they were comically large, and he was still staring at Clemont and _oh god what should I do. _Ash leaned in, deciding for him.

Their kiss was… awkward. Ash's lips were dry and Clemont kept his mouth still, frozen in place. After a few moments, Ash pulled back, shifting to sit cross legged across from Clemont.

"Well?"

"W-well _what_?"

"Whadda think?"

Clemont raised his hand, lightly touching his fingertips to his lips. "You _kissed_ me."

Ash shrugged. "Yeah."

"Why did you ask permission if you were just going to do it without an answer?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck, smiling lopsidedly. "Well, I guess I wanted to give you a warning, but Serena said something about 'sponituity' or something."

Clemont reeled back, eyes wide. "Serena told you to _kiss me?_"

Ash waved his hands. "No! She said that stuff after- Whatever, it doesn't matter."

Clemont took a few moments to get his breathing steady again. "...w-why did you kiss me?"

Ash rolled his eyes, finally taking off Clemont's glasses. "Why do you think?"

Clemont hesitantly took his glasses back, settling them on his face. "...Do you… _like_ me?"

"Of course!" Ash jumped up, standing up on his knees grinning widely and gripping Clemont by the shoulders, staring deeply in his eyes. "Ever since we met, you've always been there with me. Even just the way we met- you saving me and Pikachu from being kicked out of your gym- though I guess I didn't know that it was yours the time. And after we started traveling together, I felt so excited; being able to meet someone so smart and caring like you on my first day in Kalos, and who always complimented my flaws. A gym leader, no less! You just- you made me so happy and excited to be here with you! You're always saying that you learn so much from me, but I'm always learning from you.

"You always trying so hard at everything you do while also being the most responsible one while I'm always running ahead and playing things by ear, and I know that that sounds like we're complete opposites, but I still love being around you! Maybe even more because of that. You were so nervous about being inadequate when we first met, but you've grown so much since then. You've helped _me_ grow, Clemont. You're the most brilliant, stunning person I know."

Clemont sat frozen, back thrown against the wall as Ash's nails gripped his shoulders. The boy's eyes lost their flame gradually, and he let go, leaning back. "S-sorry Clemont. That was- I didn't mean- Oh god, are you crying?"

Clemont looked back down into his lap, squeezing his eyes shut, shaking his head. He looked back up, eyes still welling with tears, smiling shakily. "Ash, I _adore _you." The blond teen leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Ash's shoulders. Ash hugged him back a second later, squeezing him impossibly tight, but Clemont couldn't bring himself to tell him to stop.

Ash rubbed Clemont's back until they pulled away, the red rims surrounding the blonde's eyes finally beginning to fade. Clemont smiled sheepishly and Ash grinned wide, entwining their fingers together.

"So, are you coming back?"

Clemont leaned in, placing a light kiss on the boy's cheek. "Sure."

* * *

_**Author Notes: **End! ovo Sorry that it took so long to get this one up- and that it's also kinda short for a final chapter..._

_But hey! Since this Fic was uploaded, the Diodeshipping fanfic count has exploded! I'm so happy that this ship has become more popular, and I beg that anyone who enjoyed this fic and has an inkling to write about these two to do it! I'd love to read whatever you guys come up with. _

_Thanks for sticking with me! Review + follow me me for more stories, if you enjoyed this one uwu_


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